


Not Comforting

by tielan



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Community: mcuflashmeme, F/M, Maria Hill is a BAMF, Protective Siblings, Shovel talks, Siblings, but her girls are looking out for her, good is not nice, negotiating, relationship, the measure of a man is usually measured by men not by women
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 14:10:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7108399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tielan/pseuds/tielan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The statement should be incongruous, coming from a slender woman of no apparent power or status. But Steve’s seen the same pleasant inexorability exude from Maria and he knows not to discount it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Comforting

**Author's Note:**

> Man. My open assignments are just piling up, and here I am writing fluff-humour fic... For the MCU Flashmeme prompt "Siblings".

The woman sitting at the table in the private room – handbag on the table, tablet in hand – isn’t Maria.

Steve’s step hitches before remembers that he’s wearing a facial mesh, and she would be, too.

Then the woman looks up, and he realises with just that small gesture that it really _isn’t_ Maria. The movement is too languid, with none of the razor sharp alertness that marks Maria’s path through the world and which she can’t seem to disguise, no matter what face she’s wearing.

Then, too, this woman looks like Maria – something about the eyes, or the shape of the face, perhaps. The facsimile is close enough, but not exact.

“Captain Rogers,” she says, indicating the seat with a wave of one manicured hand. “Please.”

“Ms. Hill,” he says, guessing more than anything else. Maria’s never told him about her family, although he knows she has siblings and they keep in contact.

“So you are as good as they say,” Ms. Hill remarks, looking him up and down as he seats himself. “I’ll pass on finding out if you’re as good as Maria says.”

Steve frowns. “Maria wouldn't have told you anything."

She nods. Smiles a little. “And not just a pretty face, either.”

Anger is a sharp sting to his ego – he’s already had the once over from more people than he ever imagined might take an interest in his newly-developed relationship with Maria. From Pepper’s gentle concern to Helen Cho’s artless interrogation, passing through Carol Danvers, Laura Barton, and Okoye of the Wakandan _Dora Milaje_ along the way.

He manages to see the black humour in the situation.

Now all he needs is Sharon to call and tell him not to mess this relationship up, and the list of shovel talks will be pretty much complete.

“I’m going to assume you know your sister as well as I do – if not better. You should trust her judgement.”

“I do.” The smile is all Maria at her most placidly dismissive best. “I’m more worried about your judgement, Captain. You’re not exactly a tame lion. But let’s cut to the chase.”

“I didn’t realise this was a hunt.”

It seems the eyebrow is also a family trait. Ms. Hill wields it nearly as effectively as Maria. “Put simply, if you fuck this up, Captain, I will beat you to death with my tablet and bury you where nobody will find you.”

The statement should be incongruous, coming from a slender woman of no apparent power or status. But Steve’s seen the same pleasant inexorability exude from Maria and he knows not to discount it.

“I consider myself warned.”

“You do that.” She gathers her bag, gives him a nod, “Captain.” And walks out without looking back.

Steve drags the mesh from his face and exhales.

 _The standards of men for ‘good’ are not the standards of women,_ Director May said after a long thoughtful look over him, a mature and terrifying woman who, scuttlebutt has it, was personally commended by Peggy back in her days as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. _Coulson thinks you’re a good man, Captain, but I’m more concerned about whether you’re a good man for Maria._

With all the questioning, he’s starting to wonder it himself.

Voices murmur outside, and the door opens, with Maria walking in.

“Steve.” Her smile shifts and sobers, reading the tension in him as keenly as if he sent her a memo. “What’s happened?”

“Nothing.” He stands to greet her, presses his mouth to hers, still marvelling at the way she leans into his kiss.

When Maria pulls back, though, her eyes search his face. “Nothing?”

“Your sister was here.”

“Esther? Or Mikhaila?”

“She didn’t give her name and I didn’t have the courage to ask.”

Maria stares at him a moment, and the shape and colour of her eyes are exactly those of her sister. “That would be Esther, then.” Her mouth tips up at the corners. “She _scared_ you?”

“Clearly terrifying runs in your family.” He moves around to pull out her chair, a gallantry that continues to exasperate her if her roll of the eyes is any indication. But by now she knows better than to do more than a cursory protest; he’s allowed his idiosyncrasies, even if one day he hopes she’ll just accept his courtesies without question.

“Why didn’t she stay?”

Steve takes his seat again as she sets her bag down on the floor. “She had a...few things to say to me. She said them and left.”

Maria pauses in the act of sitting up straight again, her gaze narrow and sharp. “She warned you away from me?”

“Her. Pepper. Dr. Cho. Director May... To name just a few.”

Her gaze narrows. “Just a _few_?”

“Oh, yes.” Steve can smile at it now – she looks like she’s about to call everyone she knows to tell them to stay out of her life. “Maria.” He slides a hand over hers. “I can handle their criticism.”

“I was thinking that they’d better believe I can handle you,” is her dry reply. But she turns her hand over so their palms are touching, and squeezes him lightly. “Feeling judged?”

“Just a little,” he admits.

"Well, look at it this way, Steve.” Her mouth develops an impish tilt. “If any of them truly found you wanting, they wouldn’t have bothered with the warning.”

He knows he’s betrayed that that’s not a comforting thought by the way her laughter rings out through the room.

 


End file.
